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VI. Ohservatioiis on the Orchis miliiaris of Linnceus. Bi/ Mi-. J. E. 



Bicheno, F.L.S. 



Read June 20, 1815. 



The very near affinity which orchideous plants have to each 

 other has rendered their separation into genera and species a mat- 

 ter of great difficu]t3\ Scarcely any tribe, however, has been 

 more effectually changed, or received greater improvements since 

 the time of LinncEus, than this; and in support of the fact, we need 

 only refer to the labours of Swartz in Sweden, and of Brown in 

 our own country. No species required an elucidation more than 

 the Orchis militaris ; for Linmieus has introduced so many varieties, 

 and they are so badly supported by synonyms, that it is difficult, 

 sometimes impossible, to make out what he means. It is to be 

 feared that English botanists in general have not understood 

 them, and that they have still further perplexed the subject. My 

 object, therefore, on the present occasion is to point out what I 

 conceive to be the English species, which have been called, since 

 the time of Linnaeus, by the name of Orchis militaris. Of these 

 there are three : the Orchis fusca of Curtis ; the Orchis miliiaris of 

 Bnglish Tiotaiuj, vol. xxvii. t. 1873; and the Orchis tephrosa?ithos of 

 Willdenow and Swartz. The synonyms which I am enabled to as- 

 certain are not numerous, because I am situated far from the rich 

 libraries of the metropolis ; but even if 1 could command them, 

 I believe I should not be disposed to ([uote largely, since it is 

 almost impossible to identify these plants in the old authors, un- 

 less 



